I Put A Spell On You
by hellosweetiedarling
Summary: Ronee's eighteen and in love...with an older man. Martin/Ronee,AU,Flashback
1. Chapter 1

_Ronee Lawrence was young and impressionable. Well, that's what her mother thought. Ronee wasn't perfect though, she had made her share of mistakes. Her mother assumed that she could do no wrong, but that was the side of her that she allowed to be seen. She wasn't a saint. She considered herself to be quite a rebel; she was always sneaking around, to clubs and various other places. And somehow, she had managed to get away with it. Her mother didn't know half the things she did, and if she did, she would ream her for it because she expected Ronee to be prim and proper, which Ronee clearly was the opposite._

_Ronee babysat every single day at the Crane household, while Hester and Martin were away, working at their respective jobs. It paid pretty decently, enough for her to buy the latest trends, or see a flick with her girlfriends. Ronee enjoyed spending time with Frasier and Niles, who thought of her as their big sister. Ronee would tell stories that would send Niles into a panic for hours on end, or tease Frasier when he went on about a book he had just read. She found it immensely amusing, at first the boys would resent it, but they soon learned to tolerate, even though they weren't pleased. Frasier developed a crush on Ronee that she herself was well aware of, but chose to ignore. She was a good six years older, it wasn't right. And also, she wasn't his type. Ronee knew that Frasier deserved someone much more like minded. She didn't think she would be right for him, and thought he'd be better off with someone else._

_Someone his own age._

_Ronee had a crush on someone, but it was an older man. Not the pimply faced boys that drooled over her, she was falling for someone she knew. Someone she had known for a long time. At eighteen, she was just about to head to college, and this was someone she had crushed on since she was twelve. That person was the father of the children she babysat for, Martin Crane. The only thing was, he was married. She tries to put those thoughts out of her mind, she tried everything remotely possible, but somehow, every time he returned from work, he made her heart flutter with sheer excitement. Excitement that she had to hold back as much as she could. _

_She pictured what it would be like to be with him, to be married to him. She tries so hard to put those thoughts out her mind, but she couldn't, it was close to impossible now. She had these dreams since she was thirteen. Smiling to herself, she puts the thoughts out of her mind._


	2. Chapter 2

Martin got upbraided by Hester for the millionth time. Hester suspected that Martin was crushing on Ronee, the boys' babysitter.

'Jeez, Martin…she's young enough to be your daughter. You're married.'

Martin was torn; he did not know what to do about this blossoming crush. It all started the night he took Ronee home. She had just experienced a breakup, a breakup with a boy that did not return her affections. She was broken, torn apart, and vulnerable. She sits in the car seat next to martin, staring straight out into the darkness. Martin could tell this boy broke her pretty hard.

'Are you okay, Ronee? Is there anything I could do? I've gone through many breakups in my day.'

The young woman sits there, still staring out into the darkness of their neighborhood. She spoke softly towards him, only saying, 'Will I ever be loved?' martin did not know what to say, all he could do, is put an arm around her.

'Ronee, you'll meet someone one day. Trust me; you'll land someone great one day. Someone who loves you for you.'

Ronee smiles at him, knowing full well he was right. Her mother never approved of the boy. Always kept telling her the boy was trouble, but she blew it off because she wanted to make her own mistakes, that is, without her mother interfering. Most of her relationships were secret for that reason. She never told her mother half of these things because she knew how her mother would react. Her mother would completely overreact.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Ronee's mother was seething with anger, having seen Martin put his arm around her daughter.


	3. Chapter 3

'Ronee, this is why I sent you to an all-girls school. To keep you away from boys.'

She knew her mother was being unreasonable. Even if she did go to an all-girls school, it didn't keep her away from boys. The school she attended, they always had events where they comingled with the boys from the boys' school across the street. Ronee knew full well her mother was trying to protect her, but this was ridiculous in her opinion. She wanted to date freely, without sneaking around, like her girlfriends were able to do with their boyfriends. If her mother knew of half the things she did, she'd faint from shock. Ronee knew she wasn't as good as her mother perceived her to be. Her mother didn't know because Ronee hid it so well.

'Mother, Mr. Crane...Martin is married. He was simply trying to cheer me up after he found out I had a bad day. He's faithful to Hester. She'd kill him if he cheated on her. Really, mother...he was trying to be a friend.'

Ronee wasn't about to tell her mother about the guy she was seeing that had broken up with her after three weeks. Only because if her mother knew that she was dating on the sly, she would lecture her,and ground her. Ronee couldn't wait to go to college, to move away...it was at that point she knew that once she was out from under her mother, she'd have more freedom.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This isn't the end, this is only the beginning. The next chapter is a flash forward. :)**

_Staring out her window of her bedroom, Ronee sighed. Her mother really was unreasonable, and she couldn't wait to go to college, and be on her own. Sometimes, she wondered how her father ever put up with her. Ronee didn't remember much of her father; he left her and her mother when she was two. Relatives told her that he just walked out, after having a huge argument, and never returned. It had been sixteen years since he'd been there, and probably seven years since she had seen her mother date anyone. She was now eighteen, and soon enough, she would be heading off to college. She could taste the freedom ahead of her. She knew that loving Martin from afar was alright, but she hoped the distance would help her move on. She had to move on; he was married, and a father of two. _

_Somehow, she knew in her heart that she had to move on. Move on and experience life to the fullest. _

_Ronee sighs, clutching her pillow. It was going to be a long, sleepless night._


	5. Chapter 5

She wakes up in bed, a smile across her face. Looking over in bed, she finds her husband Martin, sleeping soundly next to her. Ronee smiles, and leans over to kiss him gently against his cheek as she slips back under the covers. Over the years, she never thought she'd ever be with him. They had taken different roads, chose different paths, but in the end, they finally were together. Ronee cherished every moment she had with him, and in time the whole Crane family grew to love her too. Daphne made a point to get to know her husband's stepmother, her mother in law. They weren't that far off in age, but Ronee cherished every moment with Daphne and playing with her grandson (although she still refused to refer to herself as Grandma, and instructed Niles and Daphne not to refer to her as that with baby David), singing songs to him as the little baby giggled and smiled. Frasier and Ronee bonded over music, and every Friday, they did a duet together as Martin watched and gave his input on the new composition that Frasier put together. It made him proud to see his boys and Daphne get along with his new wife. And Ronee was content to be a part of their lives too.

Smiling, she snuggles back in bed, spooning up behind Martin. Closing her eyes, she soon falls asleep.


End file.
